I was wondering how many glasses you have broken in the last year (or on average) and also how they broke. (i.e. when you were washing them, drying them, putting them away, knocked them over while drinking etc.) Also, was the glass expensive?

Probably 6 - 8. And every one of them was a washing-up accident. However, none of them was an expensive glass. All middle-of-the-road glasses that look fine, perform well, and can be replaced for under $75 for set.

I believe we have broken 2, both while drying. In fact, all of our breakage over the last 4 years has been while drying.....guess we have bad technique. Cost was about $8 per stem, replacement is more like $10.

I lost 5 Riedel Overture Red Wine glasses over the past year - 2 while washing, 2 knocked over and 1 mystery. I also broke several of the cheap ones I buy at the Dollar Tree - most of these were broken while taking "barrel" samples in my cellar. Luckily, all my Riedel Vinum Bordeaux glasses survived.

One, about 6 months ago. The stem snapped while drying a Riedel Vinum Burg glass. That is only the second glass I've broken in the last 10 years. Guess I must be more careful, or more sober , than some of the klutzs here.

Ian Sutton wrote:SimonNOOOOOOO!Haven't broken any for a while, but this thread will surely jinx us! regardsIan

Ian,

I sincerely hope not! I just bought eight new glasses to replace the last crop that broke. Thank goodness for boxing day sales. (Funny thing is that these glasses are made by Kasse, in Germany. In French 'casser' means to break......)

We are clumsy, whether cleaning up the evening of or the morning after.

I just went and picked up a bunch of $6.99 stems at Cost Plus. They won't replace Riedels, but they're a heck of a lot better than the winery logo glasses that dominate one of our kitchen cupboards. Perfect for everyday drinking.

Mostly use the Schott Zwiesels, but still occasionally break one. Broke one when I carelessly put in dishwasher rack too upright, caught on top of dishwasher as I pushed in and snapped. Also broke one when someone knocked it off the table (a bit much to ask a stem to stand up to a 3 ft drop). Plus one of the gorgeous Zalto Dank'Art stems in a drying accident.

Mark Lipton wrote:Like David B, my broken glasses (2) were both Riedel Zin/Chianti Vinum series. Both were broken during the drying process, surprisingly in one case when the bowl (!!) broke.

Mark Lipton

Our breakage when hand drying has occurred this way on more than one occasion.....a chunk of the bowl just snaps away. Have also twisted the stem off the bowl when drying. Guess I coulda sanded down the bottom of the bowl and used it like a Riedel O.

Simon J wrote:I have on occasion put the smaller tasting glasses in the dishwasher but found that it leaves an odor in the glass. I have to rinse the glass out before using it. Do you ever get that problem?

Simon, Do your plates smell also? I tend to do the stems in a light load without a lot of detergent, and don't usually get any odors. On the occasions I do I "prime" the glass. We don't use rinse aid. Folks with harder water might have more issues.

MikeH wrote:We use Spiegelaus and never put them in the dishwasher. Hand wash and dry only. Generally think dishwasher will eventually mar the glasses.

Etching would indeed be a danger for standard lead crystal, and I handwash the Spiegelaus and Riedels. But for everyday we use the Schott Zwiesel stems (the ones with titanium rather than lead), and are very satisfied. I only pull out the Spiegelaus, Riedels, and Zaltos for dinner parties. I'd love to have enough SZ to have enough stems for a dinner party for 8-12 where I have mulitple glasses for everyone, would definitely make clean up shorter. But I still have dozens of Spiegelaus from the glory days of the Amazon sales.